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DIY Oil Change for SLK350 with Pictures

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131K views 99 replies 55 participants last post by  mazzbob  
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
There was a DIY posted her a while ago, but I figured since I did one for the CLS last weekend, I need to do one for the wife's car since it was saying Service E Due in 2200 miles.

Tools Required : 8mm & 13mm sockets + wrench. Mercedes Oil Filter removal tool (19$ ebay)
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Step1: Drive the Car around to warm up the oil , then drive up the Rhino Ramps, (or jack the car up, whatever is your preference)
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Step2: Pop the hood and remove the Oil-Fillup Cap and the Oil Filter. This is optional , but I feel like I'm relieving the pressure a bit before draining her out.
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Step3: Get under the car armed with our 8mm socket wrench, and remove 6 or so bolts holding the 1st plastic piece in place. Then remove the 2nd plastic piece (there are two bolts very hard to find, close to the wheel wells). You will now see the Oil Drain Pan and the Oil Drain Plug.
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Step4: Position your Oil Drain container and using the 13mm socket wrench, remove the Oil Drain Plug and let the oil pour out. Go have a snack / watch some TV and let her drip for an hour or so.
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Step5:Remove the Oil Filter using the "special mercedes tool" and a 1/2 drive wrench. remove the old filter, clean the encasing and remove the rubber o-rings. Slide in the new filter, and put on the new O-rings provided. (3 in all)
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Step6: Get back under the car, Put the Drain Plug bolt back on (don't forget the washer) and wipe the area clean (to check for leaks later)

Step7: Pour in about 5qts of new fully synthetic Mercedes-approved Oil. I used Pennzoil 5w-30, since I live in super-sunny yet not that hot California. You can use whatever you prefer, the last time some people had issues with not using mobil1 or not using 0w-40 etc. If you live on the east coast or where its really cold, you may want to use 0w-40. My car, my choice, same with yours.
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Step8: Get back under the car and check for leaks. If everything looks good, put the two plastic pieces back on and drive off the Rhino Ramps. This is very important since you want the car totally level before pouring in more oil to avoid incorrect max readings.

Step9: Pour more oil and keep checking the oil dipstick to make sure you don't go over the max level indicator. I was able to get almost 8.5 qts in... about 8.3 or so I would guess.

Step10: Follow the Service reminder reset procedure and woohoo...you're done!

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#7 ·
You're welcome everyone, glad to be of help... never done this before on a merc... just used prior knowledge from my Z... the Z filter was worse cause its located underneath the car...

also my handy blackberry was small enough to fit in my pocket while i was under the car :)
 
S
#9 ·
Hi,

I'm a noob here. I appreciate this great step-by-step tutorial. My problem is oil is leaking (dribbling, seeping, once spurting) from around the lip of the filter housing. I tried over and over to get it right, but I've never done it before. I think I put the "O" rings in the right spots on the assembly. I used a regular filter wrench to loosen and tighten the housing, not the special tool. I can't imagine that would be the issue, though, if the filter was otherwise properly installed. Anyone have thoughts? :( Thanks.
 
S
#11 ·
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll do it. I used a Purolator paper filter (similar to this pic)
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- think that matters? It looks the same on both ends, so I just slid it up there. It doesn't seem to "latch" once it's up there - it can still be rotated. Normal? Also, is it normal for there to be a small amount of "play" around the O rings? The width of the grooves allow the rings a small amount of jiggle/rotation. Would tossing the damn thing and getting a new fleece filter make sense, or would I still have the same issue IYO? The car is actually a SLK320, not 350.

Sorry for all the annoying noob questions. It's nice of you to help me :)
 
#12 ·
Sounds like you have the wrong part then. the rings should have no jiggle; on my car, they are actually quite difficult to get on.
 
1
#13 ·
I feel stupid asking this but I cannot find the oil plug under the car. I work on my Corvette, Jeep and Harley and this should be a "no brainer". Can anyone please post a photo of the drain plug or tell me where to find it. I took off the plates on the bottom of the car but just can't seem to locate it.

BTW, I called my local Mercedes dealer and they wouldn't tell me where it is located. They said that they are legally liable if I damage my car. What a bunch of C#$p.

Thanks
 
#14 ·
1524montana said:
I feel stupid asking this but I cannot find the oil plug under the car. I work on my Corvette, Jeep and Harley and this should be a "no brainer". Can anyone please post a photo of the drain plug or tell me where to find it. I took off the plates on the bottom of the car but just can't seem to locate it.
Click to expand...
its pretty easy to find ... i would have taken a pic, lemme see if i can find one and post it back on here...
 
#18 ·
yup they're painted black on all our cars... glad you found it !

p.s.: make sure you tighten the bolt properly after you drain the oil, on my last oil change it wasn't tightened all the way, and after a week, i saw it drip in my garage a bit... had to get back under there and re-tighten...
 
#19 ·
jst_at_home said:
Hi all

Has/does anyone use Pela (or similar) pumps to extract engine oil?

While I understand the argument about actually undoing the sump plug, I believe many garages use this type of thing.

John
Click to expand...
I've never used one in an MB, but I've used them for years in a boat. Very common for use in ski boats and the like. Kind of hard to get under them, you know! Seems to work well, but I'm sure there are small issues with not getting all the old oil, etc. Never had any problems in any of my marine engines, though. Very clean and low hassle factor.
 
P
#20 ·
Am in the middle of my first oil change on my 98 SLK230. After reading many posts, I purchased a Moeller pump at a boating supply store. Very simple and effective - run the hose down the dipstick tube and pump up the vacuum on the Moeller pump. It takes about 20 minutes to drain, but there's no raising of the car and best of all the oil is easily transferred to an empty container to take back for recycling.

Now, if I could just get that filter cap off! I'm headed to the MB dealer tomorrow for the MB tool - all other tools have failed.

I purchased a Purolator filter, but it only comes with one o-ring plus the bigger ring for the cap itself. I've heard that Bosch filters have 2 more o-rings. I'll get the MB filter while I'm at the dealer, but does anyone know if there are after-market filters that have all the o-rings?
 
D
#22 ·
pfishtex said:
Am in the middle of my first oil change on my 98 SLK230. After reading many posts, I purchased a Moeller pump at a boating supply store. Very simple and effective - run the hose down the dipstick tube and pump up the vacuum on the Moeller pump. It takes about 20 minutes to drain, but there's no raising of the car and best of all the oil is easily transferred to an empty container to take back for recycling.

Now, if I could just get that filter cap off! I'm headed to the MB dealer tomorrow for the MB tool - all other tools have failed.

I purchased a Purolator filter, but it only comes with one o-ring plus the bigger ring for the cap itself. I've heard that Bosch filters have 2 more o-rings. I'll get the MB filter while I'm at the dealer, but does anyone know if there are after-market filters that have all the o-rings?
Click to expand...

Hello, i have recently purchased a Mann filter for my 2001 SLK 320, that came with all of the necessary `o` rings in the box, regards Damian.

PS - Mann part number was `HU 718/5 x` :tu: They list the `HU 727/1 x` for a 1998 SLK 230. :)
 
#23 ·
Just wanted to chime in and say "thanks" first of all for such a great DIY how-to. I followed it today and handled my oil change painlessly.

In the USA, a Mercedes dealer charges about $35 for the oil filter. However, you can go to any major auto parts store and get a K&N Oil Filter, which is better than the OEM Mercedes filter and costs about $18:
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=KNN&MfrPartNumber=HP7004&PartType=1&PTSet=A

Also, I called my Mercedes dealer to ask about the "oil filter removal" tool. They wanted $107. You can get the same tool at Shuck's, or any other major auto parts store, for about $5:
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=FTL&MfrPartNumber=10606B12&CategoryCode=3401A


The SLK-350 takes 8.5 quarts of synthetic oil. Mercedes USA recommends Mobil-1 5W-30 synthetic oil. I use Mobil-1 "Extended Performance" 5W-30, which can be bought in the USA for $6.50/qt (~$60 total):
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=MBI&MfrPartNumber=98HC54&CategoryCode=4019H

My entire oil change; including oil, filter, and removal tool came to a grand total of about $80, and took me about 2 hours.

I did have one question though... the Mercedes oil filter has the term "25 NM" on the end of it, I presume it is saying you should torque the filter to 25 NM. But that's over 160ft-lb of torque. My torque wrench only goes to 12 NM. I set it to 25 ft-lb and tightened to that torque. Should I tighten it further? Anyone know the appropriate torque setting (in ft-lb) for USA cars?
 
#26 ·
Yeah, I figured I was reading it wrong, or there was something wrong with the conversion chart on my torque wrench, or something. Oil filters generally just need a little oil for the seal, and then you tighten it by hand and only a little past (like 1/4 turn) where it seems "tight". Generally about 20 lb-ft. I set the torque wrench to about 24 lb-ft and then tightened it normally, not until my torque wrench maxed. So it's probably tightened correctly.

Hope the links help some people out. The oil change on the SLK is very easy, and if you get the parts at a local auto parts store (Kragen, Shucks, PepBoys, etc), it's about 70% cheaper than taking it to the dealership (you save about $150). Don't know about anyone else, but I figured $150 was worth 2 hours of my time. Especially knowing that I would do it right, where you never really know what they're doing at a dealership service dept.
 
#28 ·
If my dealer only charged $75, it would be a no-brainer for me. I'd have them do it every 3k miles and would be quite happy with the price. I don't know how they charge $75 when the parts (oil and filter) alone cost that much. They're not making much profit on that deal. What a bargain!
 
#32 ·
tmetz60, glad you made it over here!

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#33 ·
I just changed the oil myself for the first time on our 2001 SLK320. It was a quick and simple job. The only hassle - resetting the FSS was frustrating until I found the magic formula.

Some items of note:
Purolator filter L25276 came with all 4 O-rings, fit fine, no leaks.

As to the oil filter cap wrench - the oil cap appears to be the same size as a Purolator L20195 spin-on oil filter. So, my cap wrench for that fit perfectly.

Frank
 
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